VAN SCHIE ADMITS TO STRUGGLE AFTER DREAM WDF YEAR
21/04/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
JIMMY VAN SCHIE has admitted “I needed this boost” after finally breaking through on the PDC stage and sealing his first-ever Euro Tour qualification.
The lanky Dutchman clinched a spot at the Baltic Sea Open, defeating Mensur Suljovic, Adam Gawlas and Richard Veenstra in the qualifier.
World No.98 Van Schie dominated the WDF circuit last season, winning both the World Championship and World Masters.
But “The Dutch Sequoia” has struggled for form since earning his Tour Card this year, with his best run so far, a last-16 finish at Players Championship 6.
Van Schie admitted his qualification for Kiel at the end of May has come at a crucial moment in his career.
He told Sportnieuws: “The weather was crap, the taxi drove a lot slower than usual. Because of that we missed our check-in and had to stay an extra day.
“But I didn’t mind that too much. Just relaxing at the hotel we booked additionally and taking it easy.
“I needed this boost. The qualification comes later in the season than I expected myself.
“Against Richard I was really firing. I needed a good game. In the last legs I started thinking more, because qualification was getting closer.
“But when I won it, there was a lot of relief. I can finally go to the Euro Tour.
“There [in the WDF] I was the very best, but here at the PDC you get to take part. There are simply 127 other top darters and I had to deal with that.
“I got a lot of messages from people who expected a lot from me, that’s why I needed this now.”
Last week. Van Schie crashed out in the first round of Players Championship Nine after being whitewashed 6-0 by Kim Huybrechts.
But the 32-year-old bounced back in style, gaining a huge confidence boost by taking the scalp of Andrew Gilding in his opening match at Players Championship 10.
He added: “That really left me with a good feeling. I had trained a lot recently and my darts were landing well.
“That win over Gilding gave me a huge boost. I thought: ‘You see, you can do it, it’s in there.’”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
